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this is, in the end, one of the basic questions of governance within the capitalist mode of production, to wax marxist for a minute---what are the factors that best guarantee social and political solidarity? what are the relations between social and political solidarity/consent and capitalist activities proper? what does capital owe to the social system that it relies on in order to extract profit?
back in the day, this was a more obviously central question in terms of manufacturing as well--so for the reproduction of its labor pool and by extension ability to operate at all.
neo-liberalism is responsible, among other things, for radicalizing the impression that the only measure of capitalism's well being is share-holder return. production is entirely occluded. it's of a piece with the race to the bottom in terms of wages, working conditions, benefits and stability for wage earners internationally---and the evacuation of possibilities for the old metropolitan working class. this is an immense change, one that undercut the older forms of social-democracy in their traditional mode.
but the questions are still central.
so far as i can tell, in principle neo-liberalism has nothing to say about social questions because it functionally denies the existence of the social world.
in practice, neo-liberal policies have been a pretty destructive proposition for the eu--they're of a piece with a recapitulation of the radicalized class structure in places where these policies have been implemented at the international level. this is in turn placing very considerable strains on the main political and economic powers within the eu.
one thing this call for increased taxes does is undermine one of the more idiotic neo-liberal bromides concerning what taxes are and do. they also are a rejection of neo-liberal hostility toward the state and by extension public (rather than private) power/control.
there's actually stuff to talk about with this if you introduce reality into the discussion and stop letting ace derail yet another thread by talking about himself and his metaphysical worldview.
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a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear
it make you sick.
-kamau brathwaite
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